1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector assembly, and more particularly to an electrical connector assembly having reliable grounding capabilities.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the electronics industry, electrical connectors are often mounted to printed circuit boards for electrical connection to circuit traces on the boards. The electrical connectors typically comprise housings, a plurality of contacts received in the housings and shields enclosing the housings for shielding against electromagnetic interference (EMI). In order to remove undesired noises, more and more electrical connectors tend to employ signal conditioning components.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,767 discloses a conventional electrical connector assembly 2. The electrical connector assembly 2 comprises an insulative housing 4, a metallic shield 92 enclosing the housing 4 and a signal conditioning printed circuit board (PCB) 36. The signal conditioning PCB 36 is received in the housing 4 with an exposed portion projecting out of the housing 4. It is desirable to connect the signal conditioning PCB 36 to ground. One method of grounding the signal conditioning PCB 36 is to attach directly a ground wire 50 to the exposed portion of the signal conditioning PCB 36. This method has problems in requiring a separate connecting operation and also is relatively complicated.
To solve above-mentioned problems, in one embodiment as disclosed in FIG. 8 of the ""767 patent, the shield 92 forms a tab 94 outwardly bending. The tab 94 electrically connects with the exposed portion of the signal conditioning PCB 36. The shield 92 also has a plurality of mounting legs 96 which are soldered to a mother PCB 90. A continuous ground connection is thus established between the two PCBs 36 and 90. However, being exposed to outside, a connecting joint between the tab 94 of the shield 92 and the signal conditioning PCB 36 may be damaged by external forces and may break down after a period of use of the electrical connector assembly 2, resulting in an unreliable ground connection between the signal conditioning PCB 36 and the mother PCB 90.
Hence, an improved electrical connector assembly is required to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.
A main object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector assembly having a shield which is capable of establishing a reliable grounding connection between the electrical connector assembly and a mother printed circuit board of an electrical device.
An electrical connector assembly in accordance with the present invention is mounted on a mother printed circuit board (PCB) of an electrical device. The electrical connector comprises an insulative main housing, a contact module, a daughter PCB and a shield. The main housing comprises opposite front and rear walls, and opposite sidewalls substantially perpendicular to the rear wall. The main housing defines a cavity for receiving the contact module. The contact module comprises a compensation PCB and a plurality of conductive terminals soldered on the compensation PCB. The daughter PCB is parallel to the rear wall of the main housing. The daughter PCB is electrically connected to the conductive terminals of the contact module. A pair of contact pads formed on opposite faces of the daughter PCB. The shield defines a chamber for shielding the main housing and the daughter PCB therein. The shield comprises two pairs of projecting contacting legs. The contacting legs clamp the daughter PCB and electrically connecting with corresponding contact pads of the daughter PCB. The shield also comprises a plurality of mounting legs soldered to ground traces on the mother PCB of the electrical device. A continuous ground connection is thus established between the daughter PCB and the mother PCB of the electrical device.